


A Gift of Gratitude

by Nellie_Cake25



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Drunk Sex, Hookups, Mentions of Rape, Multi, Parenthood, Sad Backstories, Sexual Slavery, Single Parents, Underage Drinking, it happened once in a dream, ok now im making up tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:15:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21818788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nellie_Cake25/pseuds/Nellie_Cake25
Summary: As a way to repay Sora for saving everyone's lives including his friends, Roxas decided to visit Sora at Destiny Islands for a hangout. That is until he came to the realization his friends from Twilight Town also hopped the boat to the Islands and made a party for themselves. They all know Roxas is doing so because of a newfound crush for Sora, but the question is: how much longer until Roxas makes the move, and will his friends intervene in the process?Aside from the obvious drama that is a crush, Kairi is facing problems of her own, as she sees a new group of people as a way to cope with whatever seems to plague her mind and emotions. As much as Isa pokes and prods at Lea for being so observant, Lea jumps at the possibility that his new friend has something worth uncovering and attempt to put such issue to rest. (Hence the reason why this story has an archive warning)And for the love of the gods, despite some of the characters not even in their twenties yet, a cesspool of drinking has risen within each party that has occurred. Let us hope not one of them have died taking on such risk. (Hence The Reason Why This Story Has an Archive Warning)
Relationships: Roxas/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. On "Our" Way to Destiny Islands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written works in the past, but never one here, so bear with me. I haven't played all the games, especially the recent one, so some character appearances, personalities, and setting descriptions may not be accurate. 
> 
> I shipped them so hard, I think it's about time I write one before my friends decide to lurk through my Wattpad account. 
> 
> Oh, by the way, "hopping the boat" is taken figuratively. The group will be traveling on a plane. 
> 
> Edit as of 1/14/20: a few word changes

Roxas couldn't believe it. After years of fighting off evil, collecting hoards of munny in the process, and watching his friends die only to be revived again, he still had to process such a venture so exciting to him that he could not sit still on a chair. He felt joyous, anxious, really, that he had enough munny to not only venture to Destiny Islands and back on a nice plane in first class but enough to not worry about the many things he would recklessly spend on. As much as he wanted to rejoice the decision that led up to the very moment, a sense of fear crawled up his spine. He hadn't told Sora about his visitation to the Islands. It was meant to be kept as a surprise as a way of thanks for the many things the brunette did for him and his friends. As he tried to sit still on his chair in his assigned cabin, he heard a significant amount of bickering from behind. He didn't think much of at first, so he did what was possible and put on his headphones to listen to music. Seconds into the main chorus of his favorite song, his headphones were knocked out of his head and onto his lap, followed by a loud voice: "Got it memorized?" He instinctively turned to the source of the sound. 

There was no need for the dark robes from their past lives, but his red-haired friend still had his on. He combed his spiky hair back with his hands, staring back at Roxas with a grin. "You really think we would let you take this trip alone? Without telling us?" 

Roxas glared back at his friend, his shock morphing into anger. "Axel, how the fuck did you find out?" 

"Oh, now you're getting mad at me? Over the fact that you don't delete your browsing history?" 

"You snooped through my computer?!" 

Axel tried to retort back at Roxas, but after thinking it over, he remained silent. Victoria's Secret is out and Roxas is pissed. He sighed. "Roxas, I can explain." 

Right behind the very seat Roxas sat, a young lady with short, black hair jumped over and peered at him. "Roxas, I didn't know you masturbate to gay brunette boys." 

Roxas jumped at the sight of her. "Xion, what the fuck?! You too?!"

"Have you heard of a thing called Incognito Mode? Yeah, you should use it more often. It's bad enough we found out about your trip to the point of booking it too." 

Already boiling with anger, the spiky-haired blond shouted, "Who else is with us at this very moment?!" 

"Shut the fuck up, pipsqueak," another familiar voice erupted. Right next to Xion, a guy in long, blue hair stood, glaring right back at Roxas. "There are people who are trying to rest, and it's only being ruined by a spoiled man child like you." 

"Why the fuck are you here?" 

"Why the fuck do you still google 'Peppa pig antagonist'?"

"Because it's funny, okay?!" 

"At least we're on the same page about it, but doesn't the humor of it die out the more often you visit the page?" 

As the conversation devolved into the aforementioned Moogle search, Axel typed away on his brand name phone (the newest model of the Cactuar uPhone), curiosity overtaking him. Within seconds, an expression of confusion appeared on his face, him questioning the very thing that appeared on the screen. "Uhh... Is this what you are talking about?" He turned his phone to the other three, revealing the very thing that was on the screen: a Moogle search for "Peppa pig antagonist" followed by a photo of a blue-haired Japanese female. As he scratched his head over it, he questioned, "I don't understand the humor behind an anime character--" 

"Hold the thought," Xion shouted before accepting a Wi-Fi call on her phone. "Talk to me..." With how long her locks of hair have been getting, she toyed with the one closest to her field of vision. She sighed. "I'm on a plane with friends and a serial dumbass. Why?" The only sound aside from the muffled engines of the plane is the voice on the other end of the call. "I won't be back for a month-- I'm referring to Roxas. He's the dumbass." 

"HEY," Roxas shouted, only to be tackled by Axel. 

While watching the two wrestle each other out of the other's grip, Xion continued to talk on the phone. "Roxas doesn't even delete his history. You can already imagine the kind of stuff he searches." She giggled, recalling one of the searches found on his history before realizing one search led to the very trip she is on. "It's so bad I wish I was stationed with you in Agrabah." 

By the time Axel held down Roxas in a half-nelson, he shouted, "Xion, tell your mystery caller 'Riku loves you'." 

"Hold on just a moment." She mutes herself from the call before responding to Axel with a grimace. "Who the hell is Riku, and why them? There's no way I'm telling my girlfriend--" 

"XION HAS A GIRLFRIEND?!" He drops Roxas, a loud thud echoing the part of the plane, causing Saïx to turn at the sound of it. He rushes over to Xion's side, trying to snag her phone away. A few attempts later, he rushes with the phone, un-muting the call and shouting, "Hi Xion's girlfriend, I'm her friend Lea, but you can call me Axel." 

"Hi, Lea," the voice from the phone calmly spoke. 

Not even seconds later, he realized who's voice it was. He turns to Xion, a Jo-Jo styled glare in his eyes followed. "Why?" 

"Why what," both Xion and the voice questioned. 

He slowly walked up to the only woman amongst the group, a slight anger emerging on his usually expressive face. "You... YOU'RE DATING NAMINÉ?! HOW CAN YOU KEEP THIS A SECRET FROM US?! I THOUGHT WE WERE YOUR FRIENDS!" 

Out of fear, Xion slowly backed away from the red-haired male. "I don't know how Roxas would process it, that's why!!" 

As the two were arguing, Roxas not only had his headphones in, but he's dozing off into whatever realm of music he's in. "Hey Saïx, what song is this?" 

Saïx chuckled, amused over his friend's musical tastes. "It's called 'Fireflies' by Owl City." The meme has long died, but he still gets a kick out of playing it to other people. "You're going to hate this next song." He remains quiet, a huge grin on his face over the realization of how well-crafted his meme playlist was in terms of the unexpected. Before he could enjoy what comes next, he overhears the argument from his other two friends over a girl. "Son of a bitch," he quietly slurred, raising the volume of the music in accordance. Couple seconds later, Roxas threw his pair of headphones off his head, causing Saïx to laugh manically. "Oh my fucking god! If only I took a picture of that face you made!" 

"HOW DARE YOU RICK ROLL ME ON WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE MY ONLY VACATION!?" He sighs, disconnecting his headphones from Saïx's phone. "Why must you guys do this to me?" As he sinks into his chair in defeat, blocking out every loud argument and obnoxious laughs, he dozes off into his mind, dreaming about the moment he disembarks the plane and onto the islands. Oh, how he wishes it was just him and only him. 

For now, he has to deal with a hoarde of nosy idiots, looking to amuse themselves by harassing each other.

\-----

After wallowing in self-pity for about two hours, the time has arrived. Without hesitation, Roxas collected whatever luggage he brought with him to this trip before disembarking the plane and leaving the airport, not caring about whether a navy-blue tank top and brown cargo shorts would look out of place where he was at. For what almost felt like forever, he has finally arrived at Destiny Islands. Given his current location, one could spot the many stores and shops that were around and the many people crowding around the area. A different array of warm and cold foods lingered within each whiff of the air, each with a distinct level of sweet, sour, or at best a smell that can cause one's mouth to water. The air didn't feel too cold but neither did it feel too warm, almost like it was just right for those entering the place. With this, it feels like nothing could ever go wrong...

"I can totally see Naminé dating you if you weren't so much of a _bitch_ to begin with," Xion stated, her teeth clenched shut as she stated. She didn't carry much with her although the size of her bags can say otherwise. Unlike Axel, she wore a rather loose, black dress shirt and denim shorts, on top of teal colored flip-flops. 

"Says the bitch who jumped in her cave the moment Roxas dumped her," Axel retorted, lifting up his one and only suitcase with his right arm. "You know, what happened to bros before hoes? Your horny ass instead went for hoes before bros! Get it memorized, cunt!"

"Ah yes," Saïx spoke, "because using people's sex organs as an insult can definitely get the job done, isn't that right, sissy?" Out of the four, he carried probably the most amount of bags, which is sad considering his looks are about as generic as someone attempting to cosplay Patrick Star (think pink dress shirt and neon green shorts).

"Goddamn it, you too?!"

"I mean, who am I to judge someone based on the first Moogle search they laughed over on Roxas' computer?" 

"YOU ALL ARE ANNOYING ME," Roxas shouted. "ALL OF YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS WOULD JUMP THE BOAT ON JOINING ME ON THIS TRIP!" 

The three glanced at each other with different ideas in mind before looking back at Roxas. Amongst the three, Axel spoke up. "You didn't even tell Sora about this." 

Roxas wanted to scream something to them, but at the same time nothing came out. He looked down in defeat. "You're right. He doesn't know at all. Heck, I don't even know where he lives." 

With a smile, the red-head spoke. "Don't worry about it. Lucky for you, I wrote down his exact coordinates." Axel takes out his uPhone, which was already opened to a GPS app. "And since he doesn't live far from here, we can get there in not even half an hour." 

Xion jerked her head to the direction Axel was at. "Excuse me? Did you say 'coordinates'? And how the fuck do you know this?" 

"My secrets cannot be told, Xion. Get it memorized." 

By the time Xion and Axel stopped bickering about the phone call with Naminé, it was time to move along with the next phase of the plan: visiting Sora. Had Axel and the others not joined, Roxas would have gotten lost after disembarking. Since he "magically", and not through the power of severe internet stalking, knew where Sora lived, getting there was much easier. Throughout the journey, aside from the sound of the animals native to the Islands, the most prominent sound is Xion's complaints about insects, to which Axel would respond, "I've seen you murder plenty of Heartless, don't tell me bugs are the most of your concerns". Aside from the bad jokes that come out of Saïx's mouth, her complaints sound like they have no end to it, up until they arrived at a wooden house close by the beach. Roxas rushes over to the door, knocking it like a child without any sense of patience. 

To what felt like eons to Roxas, the door finally opens. A young, adult male walks out of the door, raising an eyebrow to the many people he saw at once. He didn't feel off about his brown hair looking messy, the strong aroma of oranges radiating from his fair-toned skin, or his style of clothes consisting of a black tank top and baggy black shorts, but rather it was the presence of a certain person amongst them. "Roxas, is that you," he questioned. A sudden embrace from Roxas and suddenly he was on the cold floor. "Heh. Great to see you." 

"Whoo," Axel dashed into the house and made himself comfortable to the first chair in his field of view. "Time to party!" 

"H-hey Lea, now isn't the time!" He peers over at Roxas, who hasn't let go from his embrace. "Uhh, Roxas, you can let go." Once the blond did let go, he took the opportunity to get up. "Yeah, if you don't--" 

"Your name is Sora," Saïx sighed. "Pleasure to meet you. Name's Isa, but these twerps call me Saïx. Now, where's the booze?" 

"W-well," Sora stuttered, "I-I obviously- I obviously don't have any." He shrugged, smiling in hope that would be enough to warrant a search.

"Bullshit," Axel shouted from the kitchen, startling Sora and causing him to turn around. The red head pulled out a bottle of what appeared to be Jack Daniels. "What the fuck is this, then?" 

He stared blankly at the red-head, questioning how fast the walk to the kitchen was. "You're- you're not supposed to drink that. It's my--" 

"I count dibs," Saïx shouted, rushing to the kitchen. 

"Th-that's not yours to drink! It's Riku's!" 

"Who's Riku," Xion questioned, standing right behind Sora. "Are they a troll who lives under the bridge?" 

He turned around once more to face her. "No, he's just as human as us." 

"Riku is a he? Tell me. Would he be interested in a loser like Roxas?" Just thinking about Roxas got her remembering about the abomination that was his search history. "Wait, actually, based of his Moogle search, he would be--" 

"Would you look at the time," Roxas blurted. He grabbed Xion by her wrist and tugged her to his side. "This stupid bitch needs her medicine, because she lets her mouth run like a red horse in a popular swordsman game." He sprints over to the kitchen, a place no sane man would want to end up in since both Axel and Saïx drank the entire bottle in one sitting. "Xion, what were you thinking? I can't allow you to embarrass me like this!" 

"The only way I can embarrass you is." She froze, the expression of a million thoughts running through her head every second. "Don't. Tell me." She slapped her hand over her mouth. "You're serious." She turns to the fridge, searching for a drink, only to stumble on a small bottle of Corona Extra. "This trip will be your demise. Memorize it, grave digger." Once she opened the bottle, she downed the entirety of the beverage in one sitting. And with that, she already felt the drink take effect, joining her two other friends in the chaos.

This trip just might be the beginning of a new type of Hell for Roxas.


	2. Before the Storm (That is Lea And Friends)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit as of 1/14/20: a few word changes.

How much longer did he have to save everyone, only to die and be revived once more? How much longer did he have to watch those close to him die a very painful and sad death, sacrifice included, just for him to let them down? How much longer before he gives in to the darkness in his heart and giving up the facade that he's all-accepting and pure-hearted? These thoughts and the like rush through Sora's head every minute and every day that he existed. There was not a day where these thoughts would arise, and every time they would, he would undergo a misery like no other. The only foot that was touching the ground off his bed tapped to a rhythm, implying the many things he was subjected to. His more dominant hand clenched the pillow, fearing of an irrational break-in that would render it useful. Alongside the sound of the cool tide crashing against the hot sand in the middle of the day, a rampant and fast-paced heartbeat ringed through his ears and echoed throughout chest, followed by many short breaths. 

How much longer before his body succumbed to a level of stress unimaginable, catching a preventable sickness that would end his life? If there was one part of his journey that he would forever despise, it would the the constant use of potions to heal severe injuries and ailments that could have permanently crippled him or worse. But even then, such liquid "magic" could not cure the million thoughts that plagued his mind, the main source of how often he fell ill. Although he would heal himself with whatever possible, he would be hit with the same basic illness that caused him to use a potion in the first place. 

How much longer before his friends realize he is nothing out of the ordinary? His carelessness, along with being in no-win situations in which someone had to die, should have costed him his own life, but his friends ended up paying the price. In turn was the oath he himself cannot keep at times: to stop the evil from taking over. Countless friends, and even him at times, died and resurrected before dying once more, urging him to keep on going, to be a beacon of light that is at the brink of burning out. Heroism is starting to feel like a responsibility too great for him, and his fear of them finding out how ordinary he really is has dragged out into an irrational traumatic fear of his. 

How much longer...? 

A knock on the door echoed the quiet room seconds before the door swung wide opening, revealing a silver-haired adult in a white shirt and baggy blue pants drenched in the potent smell of bad cologne. "Sora," he briefly said before getting knocked off his stance with a pillow. "What was that about?" 

"My bad, Riku," Sora chuckled a bit, the muscles on his shoulders relaxing a bit. "I thought you were a Heartless." 

"I wouldn't have knocked if I was. In fact, I would have still referred to myself as--" 

"Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, Xehanort's Heartless. Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah." He looks up, assuming the worst and almost summoning his keyblade as he thought he saw a glimpse of his greatest foe in his closest friend. From the amount of short breaths he took, it was no wonder he couldn't think. "Uh, what brings you to my room?" 

"Well," the grey-haired new adult reclined on the doorway between the hall and Sora's room, "you've been awfully quiet recently. I wanted to check how you were coping with saving the world again." Upon saying the next phrase, he caught a glimpse of his friend's foot tapping to an unholy rhythm of fear along with an index finger keeping tempo of what one can assume is a song of those suffering. "You're not doing all too well, are you? It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." 

"I'm t-to-totally fine," Sora shrugged. "There's no-nothing to worry abo-about. Plus, why not check Kairi for a change? She went though something entirely different than the-than the rest of us." 

"I just did. Much like what you're doing right now, she's shrugging off my help. I don't know about you, but she looks like she's struggling with whatever is infecting her mind. Now," he put his firm hands on Sora's shoulders, garnering a jumpy response from such touch, "let me help you. What is it do you need? Therapy? A whole month of hanging out with friends? WcMando's? A Cactuar uPhone?" 

Before Sora could say anything, a knock on the front door echoed the house, as if someone who waited eons for such response could no longer wait. 

"You better get the door. Who knows if it is--" 

"Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, Xehanort's Heartless. If it was really him, he wouldn't be knocking." Even if it wasn't Ansem, the thought of him behind the door triggered rapid breathing and a strength like no other rushing though his whole body. "Guess I'll be answering the door then?" 

"Go for it." Riku stepped aside to let Sora walk to the front door. He sighed, walking over to his room in defeat, wondering if he was a bad friend to begin with. Not once would Kairi or Sora confess to their mental or physical ailment that stood a chance at being cured. Whatever. As he entered his room, which consisted of a few dressers adorned with collections of equally bad cologne and an old bed that is a few uses closer to total breakage, he questioned if even asking them for help was too much of a move for either to accept. Once he flopped on his own bed, the sound of bickering from the kitchen ensured, and an even louder voice that was obviously Sora erupted. "Aww shit. Here we go again." 

\-----

The sound of an upbeat Funk song echoed the house, causing someone as calm as Riku to lose his shit. As if the taste of music was bad enough, more than half of Riku's alcohol stash had been consumed by the newcomers. At what looked like the living room, Saïx poorly sung along to the song playing, words slurring and mumbling to a foreign verse. Xion rested on a recliner chair, tears strolling down her face as she whimpered over the series of texts on her phone. Axel sat right next to Riku, not taking the hint the grey-haired dude is not interested in the bad jokes and pick-up lines he delivered. Sora tapped along with his foot at a tempo faster than what the song set, his eyes dashing around to the many ways one can exit the building. 

Roxas stood next to Sora, holding two cups of various sizes filled with the same quantity of soda. "Hey, uh, Sora," the blond said. "I got us soda." Seeing the brunet turn his head quickly in his direction caused him to jump back. "I said I got us soda. Want some?" 

"I would," Sora stated, "but I don't drink it all that much." 

The soft blush on the blond's cheeks turned red, his face looking quite puffy. "Then explain the soda in the fridge." 

"It's Kairi's." 

"How was I supposed to know about that?!" 

"You shouldn't have snooped through the fridge and helped yourself with whatever is there. As for your friends," he slowly turned to the other three, wincing at the sight of Xion puking on the floor, "they're... uh..." 

"You don't have to finish. I get what you're saying." Roxas sighed, realizing the first day of the one-month trip is already off to a bad start. What was meant to be a way to repay Sora for his good deeds turned into some sort of chaotic disaster that already involved cleaning up hot vomit. As he sighed, staring at Axel make a fool of himself with his knowledge of the Underground Railroad, he felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to turn around. "Huh?" 

"I was calling your name, " Sora whispered, not looking directly in his friend's eyes. "I was wondering why you arrived without giving much of a notice. I already feel bad that I didn't do some cleaning beforehand, and maybe locked away the alcohol." 

"Well, don't feel too bad about it. It was meant to be a surprise visit. It's just... My friends fucked that up for me." 

Instinctively, Sora touched his chest where his heart was with his free hand. A sense of guilt and sadness caused his heart to throb more slowly and painfully, empathizing with the dilemma his blond friend went through. It was all too familiar... "Do they not know what this trip meant to you?" 

Roxas shrugged. "All I know is they think it's dangerous if i went alone. As if they remembered how often they sent me out alone to accomplish missions for the Organization. All it took was a simple look through my browsing history before Lea had the idea to book the same trip last minute." He turned to Sora, his ocean eyes watering like a tsunami ready to happen. "They did some changes to the plan to accommodate themselves." 

It was that moment when Sora took whatever conscious decision to relax himself. The last thing he wants is to upset Roxas with his million thoughts that ail him. That or mention the full count of the many house plants Axel decided to balance on his body. Just watching the guy balance houseplants when drunk has warranted a huge look of disapproval from Sora. "That's not very nice of them to do, in any circumstance that led to this. If they really are your friends, they should have checked in with you before joining you." He reached over to Roxas with a friendly and comforting embrace. "I'm sorry they did this to you. It's not right to be subjected to their harassment during a time you wanted to be away." 

Feeling his heart rush and cheeks flushing into a soft pink, he returned the embrace, a stream of tears flowing down his face and onto the small jacket that Sora wore. Despite everything else not going right so far, this feeling was something Roxas yearned for. Seeing someone close to him be caring and affectionate is if not the biggest reason why the trip was planned for in the first place. "Thank you Sora." 

"Hey, if you ever want to, we can just slip away and do our own thing. Sure as hell would need it, given the fact Riku is about to explode in a few." After what felt like an eternity locked in an embrace warmer than freshly baked bread, Sora let go. To him, this felt... soothing? It wasn't the constant worry of another Heartless invasion or the fear of an unexpected arrival of Xehanort ready to murder him and his friends off the face of the Islands. Could this be the feeling he was after? And if so, why couldn't his friends replicate the feeling in his heart? Realizing the setting he was in, he instinctively grabbed Roxas by the hand and dashed out of the house with him. "Sorry for being so abrupt. This is probably the worst thing I want to witness."

Looking into Sora's moonlit eyes that glowed a rich blue, Roxas stared at such physical beauty with adoration and confusion. "H-how so?" 

"Well, let's just say Riku's anger is much much worse than the feeling you get when fighting Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, Xehanort's Heartless for the first time." 

The name alone caused Roxas to chuckle, the soft blush deepening into a fair shade of rosy red. "Why do you say his full name anyway? We all know who Ansem is and we all kicked his ass down to the rubble found in a football field plenty of times. It just sounds much more extra than filming a family of rich, talent-less elitists flaunting their wealth and stupidity." 

As Roxas rambled on and on about how unnecessary the full address of the guy, Sora couldn't help but to not pay attention to any of it. Not that he's fearing for the blond's life, oh no. But rather... "Hey, Roxas. I have a genuinely important question to ask... Where are you and your friends sleeping?" 

If there was one thing Roxas forgot to do, it was to pay for a hotel of some sort beforehand.

\-----

"YOU'RE GOING TO LET AN ALOE VERA WILT BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPIDITY," Riku shouted as if the heavens were composed of the deaf. "DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!" 

Both Saïx and Axel stared at each other, unable to comprehend the world around them nor whatever phrase Riku angrily threw at them. Saïx looked back at the grey-haired male, an expression that had some level of empathy. "I am so sorry about that. If you want, I can pay for another one. I'll even pay for one right now. Rush to the store or buy it online with express shipping--" 

"Yea, Isa, you feel bad, BUT I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOUR GINGER FRIEND!" He glanced violently at Axel, bits of steam fuming off his body. "APOLOGIZE YOU USELESS BASTARD!" 

Much like a defiant child would, Axel turned his head away from Riku. "No." 

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO! YOU _WILL_ FIX THIS BECAUSE YOUR DUMB ASS CAUSED IT!" 

"No." Axel turned his whole body around, his back facing Riku. He walked down the hall, acting like he knew where everything is. 

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING?!" 

"To sleep. I'm tired of hearing you moan your frustration. Good night." 

Concerned with whose ever bed Axel will be crashing on, Riku raised his voice. "DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!" 

"Going to sleep, that's what. Good night." He kept walking down the dark corridor before entering the only open room. 

Silence... Riku turned his head over to Saïx, glancing at the innocent drunk. "Are you okay with crashing in my room for now?" 

The room was much darker than the halls Axel walked down, and combining the fact his eyes were squinting, it was like he had a hard time figuring out where everything is. Because of how drunk he was, he found it rather appealing to flop onto whatever surface he found himself on and sleep that way, which, he did just that, and right on the bed, too.

Given how dark it was, he was unable to see a female figure standing by the corner of the room, witnessing him walk in. Her violet blue eyes stared at the drunkard, a hitch of fear getting to her at first before realizing who the person was. She looked at the door and whatever remained outside, making calculations and predicaments in her head before looking back at the man drunk and asleep on her bed. She thought to herself for a moment before deciding on her move. As she unbuttoned her dress, she walked to the door to her room, and without a second thought, she shut the door and quietly locked it. 


	3. An Early Morning Disaster

They weren't supposed to be able to get the many things they did at the dead of night, but thanks to a certain store's operating hours, Sora and Roxas managed to walk out with many bulky blankets, soft pillows, and tons of food and snacks. Had they not trained to fight against the Heartless, they wouldn't have been able to carry the many things they bought. The journey back to Sora's house wasn't that long, but it was enough to allude to earlier in the day when finding the house to begin with. Sure, this was something he would do with his friends back in Twilight Town, but it felt so much different, and livelier, when doing so with Sora. It was like he was reenacting a surreal dream in a time of despair. But alas, the two were back to the house, opening the door to reveal a near-empty living room. Well, the only one there being Xion, sound asleep in a puddle of her own vomit. 

"And even then," Sora spat, a grimace on his face, "no one bothered to clean her up. Absolutely disgusting." He set the stuff down on the nearest piece of furniture, prepping himself to clean the vomit. His shoulders and upper back were already stiff from being tensed up, and for a while, he thought his friends would be ambushed by Heartless. But if they were ambushed, why is Xion still around? Who wouldn't take advantage of a barely legal drunk girl snoring in a pool of her own vomit? Backtrack. He had to clean it up, even if it meant he would be vulnerable to possible attacks. 

"Actually I got this," Roxas calmly insisted. He walked over to the kitchen, grabbing the cleaning products applicable to the dilemma that was dealt. The blond walked over to his passed-out friend, using what he had to scoop up the bits and chunks of vomit, even lifting her up to sit to wipe off some that got on her face and body. After, he sprayed the surface down and cleaned until there were no traces of it. Once he was done, he put away the things that he used and threw the cloth in the washing machine. "Heh. If we want and can, we could just throw her naked in a tub of warm water." 

The sheer idea of doing so garnered a look of disapproval from the brunet. "Roxas, that's called sexual harassment, and you can be arrested for it." 

"Oh yeah." There wasn't much else to do other than to throw her on the bed and wish for the best. "Well, maybe still throw her in the bathtub. Just without the water and leave her clothes on." He looked over to Sora, a smirk mixed of boredom and concern. "Maybe she'll get take the hint?" 

Minutes later, both dudes were lifting up a drunk Xion into Sora's bathroom. It felt awkward, given the fact someone might have to use the bathroom, only to piss themselves at the sight of her there. Roxas had the idea to cover her with a blanket, while Sora was already contemplating how his life went from normal island dweller to being the beacon of hope and then devolve to the guy who throws a drunk girl in a bathtub at two in the morning. Whatever. By the time they casually dropped her in, not only was she covered by a large towel, Sora also took initiative to cover the tub with the shower curtain in the case someone has to use the restroom. After wrapping it up, the two looked at each other. 

"Now what," Roxas asked. 

"Well," Riku teased, opening the door to his room as he spoke, "maybe if you two went to sleep, you know exactly what you--" 

"Is Saïx in there?" 

The grey-haired male stared at the smaller blond. "You mean Isa? Uh, yeah. He's asleep on the floor. Why?" 

"We just got blankets and pillows for everyone else. Does he need one?" 

Riku peered at the contents in his room, checking on a sleeping Saïx to see if Riku's only blanket and two soft pillows were enough to keep him warm. He glanced back at Sora, noticing not the stiff shoulders but how quiet his foot tapping habit was. "He... doesn't need one." 

"Alright. If you say so--" 

"Actually, I need one," Riku blurted, reaching out for Roxas. "You see, I gave him my only blanket, and I have nothing else aside from my jackets. I... Wanted to be nice for a change, you know?" 

Not even hesitating or reading the situation, Roxas dashed over to the furniture with the bags of blankets and pillows, grabbed them, and rushed back to Riku's door. He took out two pillows and a large blanket from the bag and gave them to Riku. "Hopefully, this will keep you warm." 

"How thoughtful of you to provide this." Although he doesn't look like the type to smile, a small grin appeared on his face. "Thank you very much." 

Sora, seconds after collecting himself from looking around, asked his dear friend a last-minute question. "Have you seen Axel?" 

Riku tossed the pillows and blanket onto his bed before turning to Sora. "The hell would I care? Dude literally destroyed an aloe plant and refused to apologize for it." 

"So you haven't seen him?" 

"I knew he walked into someone's room, but if he's not in here, he's probably in yours." Before he shut the door, he thanked the two for providing the blankets and wished them a wonderful sleep. 

Sora quietly walked over to the direction of his room, unaware of how tense he looked as he does so before opening the door to his room. The way he walked was more of the sheer instinct from the many times he had to stealth his way through the many worlds he submerged himself in throughout the years. He opens the door, index finger tapping on the doorknob to a rapid beat, finding nothing but the pillow he threw at Riku before the visitors arrived and the many figurines of green armored soldiers on his dresser and vanity. So no Axel in sight... 

Roxas took a good look of Sora's room, curious of its content. There was a small bed at the corner nearest to the door, a small television on a bulky drawer with figurines in a fighting pose, and a vanity adorned with even more figures and some pictures. But from the look of the bed, although sturdy, there isn't enough space for the two of them to sleep comfortably. "Uh, Sora. Where do I sleep? From the looks of it, there's only enough space for one of us." Why did he had to say that? Why did he base off his assumption of sharing a bed with the brunette? Had he stayed quiet, he would have been told right then and there where he would sleep. Also, there's a high likelihood of him sleeping on the floor, so he really shouldn't be the one to say where to sleep. 

Witnessing the blond's eyes widen cause Sora's breath to shorten and his back to stiffen. Did he say something that offended Roxas? Or was his room very messy for the blond's taste? A million thoughts were already rushing through his head, and whatever thoughts Roxas had was another huge burden that would plague his mind. Just thinking about the many reactions that would come from this already brought tears in Sora's eyes. He didn't want to risk the possibility of Roxas being upset to the point of rushing out of the room in tears, heck, even out of the house, only to get lost and possibly die. Make that a million and two thoughts. Given everything that was in his head, his physical response was to grasp both upper arms, weeping vigorously without proper breathing. 

"Sora," Roxas shouted, dashing over to the guy. Without another thought, he embraced the brunet, the overall grip feeling more gentle and caring. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you at all." As he felt both a tight grasp from Sora and the many tears land on his white jacket, his only instinct was to slightly ruffle the other's hair. "If it makes you feel better, I might as well sleep on the floor, instead." 

All that could be heard was a muffled "no" coming from Sora. He looked up to see Roxas, a small stream of tears flowing on his face and a look of disapproval. "You are not sleeping on the floor. If anything, _I'm_ sleeping on the floor." 

"You are not sleeping on the floor. If anything," he pokes the nose of his slightly shorter friend, "you. Need it more than I do." 

Sora pushed out of his friend's grasp. "But what about you? You're a guest in my own home! There's no way I would want you to sleep on the floor!" 

If Roxas had any sort of pair of glasses, he would have slid them down to the tip of his nose; alas, he doesn't. All he could do is express a genuine disliking of such decision though the look on his ocean blue eyes. "Not only did I arrive without any notice, you clearly look like you haven't had an inch of sleep since you had to save us. If anything, you're more worthy of your own bed than I am. And if that's the case, then you should go the fuck to sleep."

Hearing that come out of his friend's mouth caused Sora's eyes to widen. Seconds later, the look morphed into one of betrayal. Since everything happened, not once did he ever get a break from the million thoughts that infected every part of his day; for the first time, it felt like he was liberated of some sort, since not one thought came to mind. "You win this time, Rox. But tomorrow, you _will_ sleep on that bed." 

There wasn't any thought when Roxas blurted the next phrase: "Not if you're right next to me" 

That phrase alone got Sora's jaw to drop. "Go fuck yourself." 

"Tell me something I don't know." He smirked, witnessing his friend grab the pillow on the floor and performed what was called muffled shrieking. 

"You know what? Good night." He threw himself onto the bed, grabbed the blanket to cover himself, and slept in a sideways position, his back facing his friend. Within a few minutes, what was calm breathing faded to a quiet snore. 

Roxas went ahead and helped himself to a pillow and a few blankets, organizing them to maximize his comfort when sleeping on the floor. As he was laying down, he thought of how much at ease he was around Sora, not to mention the moment they shared earlier as they embraced each other. He couldn't help but to think about how soft Sora's hair was or how much the guy smelled like oranges. His eyelids grew heavy, hinting at the fact the blond needed sleep after a long day of dealing with his friends and trying not to embarrass himself in front of his friend. Once his eyes were shut, he could feel drowsiness overtake him for a few seconds before coming to the realization that would open them once more and jolt his upper body upward. 

He forgot to continue the search for Axel. 

\----- 

"What do you mean I can only have once slice of bacon," Xion complained, irritated from the amount of bacon she was allowed along with a throbbing headache from being hungover. 

"There's a shit ton of people in this house right now," Riku argued, irritated from the fact half his booze was consumed by random foreigners, one of them being underage, too. He voluntarily cooked breakfast the following morning, making sure that not only was there enough for everyone but nothing gets burnt. "Not to mention you have to pay back the amount of booze you consumed. It's only fair." 

"You're a fucking jerk, you know." 

"So are you for getting drunk and crashing out in the bathroom!" He tossed the pancake that was on the pan he held onto the plate in front of Roxas. 

As he continued to cook, she glared at the pancake before back at the chef responsible. "Then why the fuck does he get an extra pancake?!" 

"Because unlike your degenerate ass, Mr. Roxas here is a decent human being!" He grabbed another pan that contained scrambled eggs and poured its contents onto Kairi's plate. Wondering where the last person was, he turned to the archway leading to the hall. "KAIRI, YOUR BREAKFAST IS GETTING COLD!" 

"'Cold' my ass! You just served it!" 

With seething anger, he turns to the lady with dark hair. "You know what? I was considering giving you an extra strip, but you're being a little bitch." He turns off the stove, grabbing his plate before sitting down on the crowded table, seating himself between Saïx and Sora. Seconds later, he turns to the former. "So, as I was saying, all I had was a stick in my hand, but it didn't matter because Cerberus was more interested in the fact I smelled like tuna." 

"Honestly," Axel spoke quietly to Roxas, "I don't even know where I was the whole night. All I know is I woke up on the sofa, hungover and sore from the waist down." He stared down at his half-eaten plate scoffing down the rest of his scrambled eggs and pancakes. With his mouth full, he turned to Riku. "Fith food thasth amathin!" 

The grey-haired dude stared at him bluntly. "Say that again when you're mouth isn't so full. You can actually suffocate and die that way." He looked over at the lone plate at the kitchen, a few questions popping up in his head about Kairi's well-being. "Have any of you seen a red-haired girl in pink?" 

"Can't say I have," Roxas admitted. So far in the whole ordeal, the only female he has seen so far was Xion. But even then, the only red-haired person was Axel. Not once has he seen Kairi, even when he did a quick search for Axel last night. 

"Kairi has been acting off for a while," Sora mentioned. "It's not like her to keep to herself about everything. And with the fact we have visitors, she hasn't left the room at all." 

"She's been this way since we shoo'd away Xehanort from this damn island," Riku quipped. "I wonder if that rat bastard sedated her with something." 

"You're making it sound like she's the subject of some unholy genetic testing," Xion chimed in. "And from the way you phrased it, it sounds like the only thing he did to her was mutated her to have a third nipple." 

The last word she said was enough for Riku to drop his fork. "Bitch, I didn't ask you!" 

"You were wondering the possibilities on why this Kairi chick is off, so I gave you a reason!" 

"Oh, yeah, because _you're_ actually concerned for her, and not because that's what you found on your only bacon strip!" 

As the argument went on, Sora let out a huge sigh, sinking his face into both hands. He can never catch a break from an upset, maybe even borderline angry, Riku. He shook his head once more angry voices started to pile on, chiming in an argument that should have ended the moment Riku sat down. The moment Roxas chimed in was the straw the broke the camel's back. As he pulled some locks of his hair, he got up and shouted. "CAN YOU ALL PLEASE **SHUT THE FUCK UP**?!" Sure, he was fuming even worse than everyone around him could imagine, but a glance from someone got him to regret ever shouting over everyone. 

From the archway shone a pair of violet-blue eyes coming from a young looking lady with red hair. Although she wore pajamas in various shades of pink, she couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable, especially the many glances from others coming her way. Shy, she quietly spoke. "Am I bothering you guys?" 

"No no no," Sora blurted. "Please, sit with us." He gets up and pushes the chair he sat to the side closest to Roxas. "Here, use my chair." 

Even with both hands, she couldn't balance her plate very well, feeling anxious from seeing some of these people for the first time. "Uh, sure?" As she slowly made her way to the chair Sora once occupied, she stole a glance from Axel, at first having her doubts about anything and everything she has done with her life before the look became more of irritation. Once she sat down and set her plate on the table, she looks around at the sea of faces and glances. "Who are these people?" 

Roxas slowly raised his hand to Kairi's way. "My name is Roxas. You can call me Rox or XIII." 

Delightfully, she shook his hand, a soft smile growing to confidence. "Pleasure to meet you Roxas. I'm pretty sure Sora talks about you a lot." Once she lets go, she giggled, witnessing him become a stuttering, blushing mess. "Not going to lie, you look like a taller, more serious Sora." 

As Roxas remained an emotional mess, he was pushed aside by none other than Xion. "Hi, my name is Xion." 

Kairi's wide-eyed expression was more of discomfort than surprise. "Heh. Hi Xion. Name's Kairi." She felt freaked out that the other had a look of adoration.

Seconds later, whatever short locks Xion had were used to pull her away from the young lady. Saïx appeared right before Kairi. "Pleasure to meet you Kairi. My name is Isa, or as my friends would call me, Saïx. We've been concerned about your well-being, hence our sudden introduction by the time of your arrival." 

From the looks of it, she felt more at ease around him. "Nice to meet you, uh... Which one do you preferred to be addressed as?" 

"Honestly, your pick. I don't mind either." 

"I'm not the type to be so informal, Isa, so I shall use your actual name for now." She slightly forced a smile, tensing up as the bread and butter of disaster approached himself before her. 

Realizing who it was, Saïx moved aside, making way for Axel. "I'm pretty sure we met somehow," Axel started, "but if not, I'm--" 

"Lea, or as the Organization would refer to you as, Number VIII: Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. The one who kidnapped me and imprisoned me in The World That Never Was. We, sadly, meet again." 

With that, everyone else glanced at each other, questioning how much Kairi knew of the guy, also curious as to why she never referred to anyone else that way. Riku stared down Saïx, wondering if he didn't do anything to set her off. Sora took a glance at Roxas, an apologetic look in his eyes and a nervous smile. Being the type to start drama Xion, despite wanting to blurt something, only stared at Axel, knowing full well he's also the type to start something. 

"What is it that you want from me?" She crossed her arms, staring him down, like a hunter aiming his gun at his kill. 

Axel nervously scratched the back of his head, wondering how he can get out of this mess without causing a battle royale in the dining room. "Well, I just want to be friendly. Uh, that's all." He walked back to his plate, grabbing it and scoffing down whatever was left of its contents before tossing the empty plate in the sink. No warning or mention of his leave away from the house. 

Something about Kairi is no longer sitting well with Roxas; he just doesn't know what it is. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was probably the longest I wrote so far as of December 18, 2019, along with a few word edits around January 19, 2020. There was a lot to unpack, progress I had to rewrite because of it being lost, not to mention I have some emotional baggage from my personal life.  
> Also, given the vague description of the figures in Sora's room, I wonder if anyone can identify which game I'm referencing.


	4. Time Away From Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok it's safe to say at this point, my chapters are starting to become ungodly long. Not only did it took me so long, I found I've been using certain words incorrectly or used a wrong version of a word. Expect a few changes soon.

Sora dearly loved and appreciated all of his friends. Through thick and thin, happiness and frustration, grief and celebration, it was safe to say his friends are what made him as stable as he seemed. His friends confided in him, in which he would do the same until recently. Hell, he loved his friends so much he chased after them when shit hit the fan on the island. Even with everything that happened, including fighting his best friend and seeing them die for him, he would still love and adore them all of his life. Even if he's known Roxas for a short time, he would even lay his life for the blond. And with the new set of people Roxas brought with him, it felt like he's known them for an eternity and a half. If he says he loves his friends so much... 

Why is Kairi acting in a way that makes him feel very uneasy? What did Axel do as a justification for the reaction she threw his way? And if not Axel, what about Xion that made her so uncomfortable? There's something about Saïx that still left her at the edge, but she played that rather well. But Roxas? She gave more attention to the blond than anyone else at the table. Although under normal circumstances she would feel rather gleeful around a crowd, there was something rather off about her sudden interest in Roxas to the point she laughed when seeing him react in such a way. 

There were no signs of the million thoughts in his head because he was focused on the one thought that is Kairi's unusual response to Roxas. There was something about that event that kept replaying in his head. Whatever it was, it caused his heart to beat ferociously, a slight pain spread across his chest. His breathing felt more rough, prepping for a fight in what felt like a huge championship battle. No amount of preparation would amount to the hot-headed feeling he expressed at the moment. If her talking to Roxas was something that he would normally be okay with, why is he acting this way? 

Could it be? 

"Sora," Roxas waved his hand over the brunet's eyes, "you there? Are you okay?" His blue eyes glowed with concern for his friend, not caring about the food on his plate being untouched or if everyone around him also felt the genuine concern for him. "Need anything?" 

Sora took a few deep breaths before answering his beloved friend. "I'll... be f-fine. Water sounds ni- sounds nice." 

The blond got up from his seat and walked over to the fridge as he remembered the water bottles that were stacked inside. As he got to the fridge and opened its door, he felt a pair of eyes stare right behind him. He got two bottles of water before closing the fridge door, exposing a curious Kairi. "You also want water?" 

"I was curious," Kairi responded, blinking excessively. "How come I haven't heard of your arrival?" 

He saw something in her that repulses him. "Uh, because I didn't say anything about when I'll be arriving?" As he walked towards Sora with two cold water bottles, he let out a long sigh. "Now I know how Saïx feels about me back in the Organization." He didn't care if that offended her, nor did he care if the phrase offended Saïx either. Sora was his top priority at the moment. "Here you go, Sora." 

"Thanks Rox," Sora said in glee, taking one of the water bottles off his friend's hand. Upon taking a sip, he noticed Kairi trailing along behind the blond. "Hey, Kairi, this might sound dumb, but..." He looked at Riku, only to shift his gaze at Xion before looking back at Kairi. "Is there a possibility you're bi-curious?" 

The coffee in Xion's mouth shot out of her nose, looking like a pot of soup whose contents were spilling out. As she tried to recover from suffocating for a few seconds, she spoke. "Sora, no. That was way out of line." She glared at him with tears in her eyes and coffee running down her nose. "Some questions are better kept to oneself instead of being asked." She looked over to Kairi, who appeared to be dumbfounded by such question. As she got up to comfort the red-headed lady, she stared back at the brunet. "While I'll have a chit-chat with her about this, you should think about the consequences of your words." The two girls walked down the hall, silently whispering the many things before disappearing in Kairi's room. 

Seconds later, Roxas threw his head back to look up at the ceiling. "Thank God Kairi's gone." 

"Excuse me," Riku snapped. 

"Dude, she won't leave me alone. It's like I accidentally wooed her or something." 

"Or maybe she was just curious about your personality and sudden arrival?" 

"No but here's the thing." Roxas grabbed his mug of coffee, standing at the spot in front of Riku. "I felt something really off about her that's making me uncomfortable. She was following me around and asking the most basic of questions. Anything I said was sure to make her laugh, and I can tell it's forced. I don't know if... if..." 

"Now, now. Don't overthink this." Riku turned to Saïx for help, but all he got was a conservative shrug. "If she's making you feel this way, you ought to tell her. She's the type to be direct and doesn't like when people are beating around the bush. So if you don't want to be around her, tell her." 

"I agree with Riku," Sora chimed in. "The only way she knows you don't want the attention is if you tell her. She'll keep going off assumptions unless you do." He turns to Riku. "Thank you Riku for breakfast, but after what went down, I don't think I can eat for a while." 

"Don't sweat it. This was bound to happen." 

At this point Roxas is getting annoyed with how everything is going so far. Not only did he had to baby his group of friends upon arrival, he had to deal with early morning drama and a moody girl who clearly has some level of interest in his existence. Alas, he realized Axel wasn't here as he dashed out of the house filled with some form of regret or self-blame. Either he does something about it or he just let it slide. "I'm already annoyed thinking about what happened. Be right back." As he walked his way over to the door, he heard a loud voice, most likely Riku's 

"And where are you going, Number XIII?" 

"I'M FINDING AXEL, BECAUSE WHO ELSE IS?!" He opened the front door, stepping out to the great outdoors before slamming it shut. 

Riku and Saïx both turned to Sora. "You ought to go follow him." As both watched Sora scramble to put on shoes and dash out of the house, shouting Roxas' name and going on a hunt for the blond, there was only a look of disappointment on their faces before he fully left. Right after, Riku turns to Saïx. "Anyway, you would not believe what Maleficent's favorite color really is." 

\----- 

Roxas dashed far into the trees in the island, his legs tiring out and his vision fuzzy. He wasn't getting enough air, and his breathing style shows. He was already determined to find Axel, but his physical limitations were what was holding him back. His body wanted to give out, screaming for him to stop pushing himself in the form of cramping and shortness of breath. If he kept going as is, he would collapse. Upon seeing red, he dashed even faster, eventually finding the guy he was looking for sitting right on top of a palm tree stump. "Ax... Axel," he wheezed. 

"How did you find me?" Axel turned around to see his close friend, a look of concern seeing how worn out the young adult was. "Never mind that. So what made you want to go out and search for an ugly villain like me?" 

"You're not... A villain." Feeling like it was too much, he sat down, hoping to recover from the amount of running he did. "If anything, you're far from it. Memorize that." 

A slight smirk appeared on his face before it went back into a face of disappointment and self-loathing. "I don't know, Rox. The way Kairi treated me earlier, I can't help but to feel like I am, ya know?" He looked down, wondering if whatever he did in the Organization was enough to make him look like such a bad guy. He winced, almost teary-eyed, thinking of the many possibilities and actions he could have done that would make him come off as a bad guy.

"Who the fuck cares about what Kairi thinks?" 

The phrase was enough for Axel to look at his friend. "Did she do something to you, too?" 

"It was like... There was something about her that made me feel uncomfortable. Like, not that she was curious, but she was more interested about something." 

"Who knows? She may actually have a crush on you." 

"But that's the thing, Axel. I'm not interested. At all." Roxas sighed, wondering what his life came to. A failed relationship with Naminé proved well enough how he truly felt about spending eternity with a female, and the only thing everyone heard when he called it off was "I just don't feel anything with her". No one truly understood the real reason he called it off. "Hey, Axel. Please don't tell anyone about what I will say. Okay?" 

"Rox, your secret is always kept with me. Get that memorized." 

He sighed, a huge weight suddenly forming on his heart even thinking about it. "I'm not interested in Kairi because I am gay." His eyes widened in response to Axel's eyes widening. "What?" 

"So you're now telling me: the reason you called of your previous relationship with Naminé is because you had an attraction to men?" Such surprise was enough for Axel to slap his hand on his forehead. "Oh man. I feel horrible for both of you, especially you since you felt pressured enough to be with her. I feel so awful already from pressuring you a while ago." He looked up and saw Sora standing nearby, a wave of embarrassment and shame hitting right in the chest. "Heh. I shouldn't have said that much." 

"I just arrived," Sora casually said. "So, what about him being pressured by you?" 

Hearing Sora's voice caused Roxas to shriek. How much did he heard? Did he hear his confession? Did he hear Axel finally coming to terms to why the relationship with Naminé fell apart? Oh, how he made a huge fool out of himself, wondering if his friend would still face him once more. He looked down, shame creeping up his back, wondering how he would recover from it all, if not ever.

Sora sat next to Roxas, curious as to what happened in his previous relationship. Sure, he heard Axel raise his voice during the search, but the only thing he clearly heard was the fact the relationship was bad enough to earn a feeling of guilt out of the guy. Unlike how he felt about Kairi and her curiosity with Roxas, his heart fluttered to an uneasy beat, wondering what exactly happened with Roxas. "So what happened in this relationship?" 

Roxas turned to Sora, realizing his friend was seated next to him. So he didn't hear what he confessed to? Although he felt more at-ease, it didn't stop him from wanting to scream and run. Calmly, he spoke. "Well, nothing too bad really. I just didn't really feel anything for her." 

"Constant arguments or did her personality change drastically?" 

"Actually, neither." Roxas recalled of the many small moments he had with Naminé many people considered romantic, but to him, not a single moment he showed any hint of love or admiration for the young, aspiring artist. It was like he forced himself in a reality that everyone but him would ever want. He felt guilty wasting her time away like that, but had he not done so, he wouldn't have came to the realization as quickly as he did. 

"Did she do anything you didn't particularly like?" 

"No." If he was talking to a random stranger or even some of his friends, such questions would have already annoyed Roxas. But it didn't. All he felt was disappointment from Sora already assuming he did nothing wrong. "I just told you. I didn't really feel anything for her." 

"So, she did nothing wrong?" 

"Not at all. It's just... To everyone, they would see what she and I had as perfect. We never argued nor fought. We communicated rather well, and we hung out a lot. As I said, I didn't feel for her at all, so I called it off before I continued to waste her time that way." Even if Axel meant well, he was loud enough that Roxas may have heard part of the conversation during the plane ride to the islands. Just hearing her name and thinking about part of the argument caused him to frown. "Good thing, too. She probably found someone better than me." 

"Don't say that about yourself," Sora blurted as he reached his arms out to Roxas. Hearing such instance felt like his heartstrings were being pulled. "I get that you didn't truly love her, but never say that about yourself. You're just as good, if not better." 

Hearing those words come from Sora caused Axel to get up from the stump, realizing what was bound to happen. "Well, if you two would excuse me, I need to replace some house plants before returning." As he walked away, he raised his voice. "Have fun, you two!" 

He focused so much on his blond friend, not even hearing Axel excusing himself. A part of him wanted to scream to the other, shouting to the rest of the world how wonderful of a friend he is. His heartbeat slowed to a quiet throb, his chest and limbs feeling an inner chill that a jacket cannot keep warm. Another part just wants to keep shut and enjoy the closeness of the moment. The aroma of a cool antiperspirant from the blond filled his lungs, making him hold onto his friend for much longer. He didn't want to stop, and he wasn't planning on it. 

"You're awfully clingy," Roxas giggled, embracing the brunet. "It's like you never let slide an opportunity to hug me." He didn't do much as a way to appreciate the things Sora did for him, but it felt like returning the guy's embrace was a start. He could feel a gentle warmth from this embrace, a feel much better than ingesting hot soup. Much like his friend, Roxas has no intention to let go. His heart fluttered with every beat, his limbs shaking from feeling heavy, and his face glowed a faint pink. If he feels this way from a person he never saw for a while, could it be the feeling of longing a friend? 

Because the two couldn't let go, they embraced for a long while... 

\----- 

It didn't take long before Xion got the hint to clean herself up. After a quick shower and change, she reappeared in Kairi's room in a dark green tank top and a dark blue denim shorts. She took one glance at the red-headed girl, a face without any bother on her face. "So, you mean to tell me, you're still feeling off from even being rescued by your friends?" 

Kairi rested on her bed, a blank expression on her face as she dozed off at the ceiling. The many thoughts in her mind ran through her head left and right, trying to process them all one by one. Although she tried to relax, nothing will ever get rid of the elephant in the room of her not being okay in the first place. She heard Xion speak, another thought to process on top of the many others. "I guess," she spoke. "I just. I don't think I should have been rescued in the first place." 

"You're gonna have to get it out eventually." She walked over to Kairi's vanity, noticing it was adorned with the many photos of Sora. Upon looking at an off-guard photo of him, there were traces of Roxas all around. Not that he was present during the time such photo was taken, but the similarities were clear. One can argue they're twins, or even go farther and claim they're the same person, but people like Xion or Axel have been around him long enough to debunk such claims. It's almost like... "Why do you have a bunch of photos of Sora?" 

"Oh, that?" Without much thought put into it, she got up and walked over to the vanity. "He's a really cool friend to be around. Although I'm not a native to this island, he and I basically grew up with each other." 

"Bullshit," Xion blurted. She didn't need to be around Kairi to know that. Not that she already knew the facade the girl pulled, although Kairi's interaction with Axel is sure to raise many questions, but she's exactly like that. Her first few days meeting Roxas felt like whatever the red-head had going with Sora. 

Kairi backed away, feeling rather jumpy. She blinked excessively, trying to clear herself up. "I'm not kidding. Sora's my friend, and he's the friend I grew up with. I had to save him back--" 

"And that's where I draw the line." The dark-haired girl turned to the other, her face slightly puffy and pink. "I was exactly like you. I always referred to this guy as my friend. Like, I was hiding it, too. I didn't want to feel the wave of embarrassment I would get when trying to explain my feelings to someone who isn't him. I genuinely had a crush on him. Up until I found out he was in a relationship with someone else." Hot tears poured out of her face like a fountain at midnight, accompanied by sobbing. "I don't even know why I was drawn to him, but I was." 

As much as Kairi wanted to know who it was, there were already many guys to consider, and that was just from those who were present at the moment. Instead, she got a box of tissues from under her bed and gave a tissue to Xion. "Did you ever confess to the guy?" 

With the tissue, Xion wiped away her tears before speaking. "No. I never did. Even when he broke up with the girl who would eventually be my girlfriend--" 

"Wait, hold up. Did you say girlfriend?" 

"Maybe??" She sighed. "It's... A long story." 

"Go for it." Kairi sat down on a padded stool, curious to what the other had to say, a means to keep her distracted from whatever infected her day-to-day living. 

"I mean, yeah, much like Sora, he had a quirky personality. One that was like 'are you lonely? here, I will sit with you and buy you ice cream'. Despite not saying much, he was very welcoming and fun to be around. LIke, no joke, he can get expressive and make it funny somehow. It's just... there was something about him. Even when he was dating this girl, there was something off that he was hiding. He didn't have to say it, but I can tell it was there. And by the time he split up, not that it was obvious, but I already knew what's up. By then, I moved on. I went after his girl instead. Heh. Funny. I never thought it would come to it, and I never thought she'd make me happier than he ever made me." 

"Do you know what he was hiding?" 

"I figured it out. It's just, right now, it's not my place to tell his secret." Her somber look shifted to one much more threatening. "And you shouldn't attempt to pry into it, either."


	5. Detective Lea At Your Service

There was a lot going through Roxas' mind at this point in time. He could not comprehend how it has been a week since arrival, but the hell his friends made for him treated like it's been a year since his arrival to Destiny Islands. His otherwise kind and patient nature had been cut short with instances of hostility between Axel, Kairi, and Xion, not to mention him and Saïx were the only ones aside from Sora that were doing the majority of the cleaning (after them). What stood out the most is his time with Sora, leaving him more and more confused about how he really felt about his brunette friend. The more serious moments spun to a different direction, reflecting more kind acts that he never saw the guy do with his friends. He was so sure that this guy was his friend, but has he always felt this way or was this developing during the times he hung out? 

As a way to repay for the first day, not only did Saïx offered to replace the booze drunk on day one (which he did), he also planned a party later in the evening. He had to get through Roxas, who tried to fight the idea of a party, but not only did his stern persuasion get to the blond, the food and drinks were paid for by him. As he gleefully returned to the house with bags full of ingredients and drinks, his smile grew even bigger, coming to terms with his ultimate plan. But first, he had to ask Roxas, who accompanied him to the supermarket, a simple question. "So, what do you think about Sora?"

The blond's heart fluttered, remembering every detail of every moment he had with Sora. As he tried to cherry pick the memories that doesn't make him sound like a total fool, he couldn't help but to reap the fact he blushed an even darker shade of pink, border-lining red. He looked up, trying to remain calm although the pace of his heartbeats say otherwise. "Sora's a really nice friend who has done so much for us. He saved us without asking for anything in return." 

The older guy's smile collapsed into a look of shock. _He doesn't know?_ , he thought to himself. "What have you and Sora did during the week?" 

Although his smile was there, the pupils on his ocean-blue eyes narrowed. "Let's see. We hung out in the woods, we played video games." Upon thinking it over, there were other things the two did that would come off as weird. "Uh. We shared ice cream?" 

_So he really doesn't know?_ Saïx couldn't help but to laugh. "So you really are oblivious!" 

The blush on his face disappeared, instead wanting to retreat into his white jacket. "Heh. I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Yes, I know, Mr. I-totally-am-not-crushing-on-my-friend!" 

"I'll have you know: Sora is a friend worth confiding with, and he died so we could be here on this island to rejoice the many feats accomplished on his journey!" 

"Have you ever thought about the possibility of you saying that to cover up your true feelings for him?" For a few minutes longer, Saïx continued laughing, garnering a puffy look from Roxas. By the time he calmed down, he spoke in an ever more serious tone. "I mean, not a way to hear you come out like that, but it is something worth thinking about, really. Given what you said about him, there is a sense there is something beyond your admiration for Sora. I would require you implore on that." He continued walking, his back straightened and his pace more rhythmic. 

With what went on seconds ago, he couldn't help replaying it in his head. The memories flowed through his head, gliding through each other like a slow presentation with a smooth transition. Every moment and every phrase he had spoken with Sora. To apply what Saïx discussed is to change the entire context of each moment the two shared. No longer did two guys being friends would be seen the same the moment a rhetorical question applied to these instances. No matter what he looked at to distract his mind, the same phrase kept replaying through his head, like a broken record or a scratched CD. _Have you ever thought of the possibility of you saying that to cover up your true feelings for him?_ He didn't want to linger on it anymore, but nothing of use could distract him. 

That is, until Sora opened the front door to the house. "Welcome back, guys." 

"We were only gone for at most thirty minutes," Saïx spat facetiously. "Don't tell me you miss me already." 

"Never in a thousand years." 

He set the bags down before putting his hands over his heart and dropping to the ground. It was obvious how exaggerated the sobbing sounded, not to mention the fall looked staged. "Ow, Sora, you hurt my feelings." 

A blank stare was the only thing on his face. "I should apologize to your mom for having an emotional twink for a son." 

Immediately, the older guy got up, a look of rage worn on his face. "Listen here, bitch!" 

Without a doubt, he smiled. "I don't take commands from Blue Hedgehog cosplayers." 

What appeared to be seconds later, Riku dashed to the front door area, a look of disbelief over what he heard. "Sora did you just?" 

Sora turned to his grey-haired friend. "Did I what?" 

"I haven't heard you joke like that in ages!" 

Offensive humor, or, as something Roxas would consider, a classic roast that stops people in their tracks. He was a huge sucker for that type of humor, which in it's own is why he doesn't have that many friends to begin with. Even with the tightly-knit friends group, no one appreciated roasting more than the blond, although Axel comes at a close second. "I never knew he joked like that." 

Riku turned to the blond. "Why? Is that enough to turn you away?" 

"Unlike you, I can turn Kairi away." 

With the amount of "Oooh"s that followed, such reaction caused Riku to puff up, a glare boiling up on his red face. "How dare you talk about my friend that way!" 

"Did you hear that Kairi," Sora chimed. "You're Riku's friend. You know. Without the benefits!" Instead of the constant foot-tapping to a bothersome beat, he smirked, not caring about the small audience that focused on him.

"That's fucking cold," Xion said, slowly taking a sip of her frappe. "I'm digging it. Roast him some more!" 

"I'm leaving," Riku shouted, marching down the hall to an annoyed beat. 

Roxas had the audacity to blurt. "What next? You're gonna call daddy Xehanort on me?" 

It was enough to trigger a fit of rage from the older adult. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" 

"That's not what your mom told me last night." He turned to those who were in the living room at the moment, realizing the consequences of the words when he saw genuine expressions of shock on their face. Not that he regret every word said, but from each and every person, what he said was out of line. His heartbeat accelerated, enough so that if he were to go through with the plan, he would outrun everyone and leave the place. But he didn't. 

"Holy shit," Sora timidly spoke. "That was so uncalled for." 

"Sora, I wasn't careful with my words, I'm sorry." He wanted to hyperventilate. Break down and cry. Maybe even go missing. He felt a pain in his chest, the last time he felt this way was realizing the true motives of who he thought were his friends. Instead, he held a face ridden of any expression or emotion.

Without remorse and with the idea in mind, he ended up patting the blond on the shoulder. "That was fucked up. I like it." 

"DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT HE JUST SAID," Xion blurted. "BASTARD USED HIS NAME!" As she charged to the blond, ready to throw her cold drink in a fit of rage, she was held by by none other than Saïx. She flailed and writhed, fighting off his grasp, only for him to tighten his hold on her. "WHRT THH PHHK!" 

"I think it's best if the sort it out," Saïx spoke with remorse, staring back at the two continuously roasting even more people. "I didn't like how he roasted me a bit ago, but it's best if you leave them be. We have a party to plan." 

\-----

The morning after his arrival until now, Axel wondered where he disappeared to. Sure, he could ask everyone, but there wasn't any luck since his friends dropped the search and topic entirely. Roxas tried searching the moment he went missing, but the tracks were well-covered. But it can't be that way, at least, that was what the red-headed adult thought. He could have been anywhere in the island, but with the vague memory he had, he clearly recalled still being at home. Not just that, given Riku's word about that day, he crashed out in a room somewhere. Which one? He can only imagine--

Something wasn't adding up. If he crashed in a room, how did he end up back in the living room? Riku and Sora confirmed he didn't crash in their room. They don't have a garage since, come on, who would drive around an island like this? Xion already took the spot for crashing in the bathroom. There's no way that he could have-- Hold on a minute. 

Did he crashed out in Kairi's room? If so, that made little to no sense. Given her reaction the morning of, she didn't show any interest in him whatsoever, hatred and disgust to be exact. Maybe she was frustrated and dragged him out of the room? Or maybe-- 

"Lea," Riku exclaimed, causing the guy to jump in shock. "You should really get your head out of the clouds. This is a time to party; not regret even being alive." From the sound of his words along with the potent smell of the guy's breath, it was clear he had something to drink. "I wanted to check on you, especially since the conga line failed." 

Axel turned the adult, many questions popping up in his mind. "How do you fail at a conga line?" 

"Have you heard of the Domino Effect?"

"Oh." Such phrase is something Axel can't seem to get used to, even if he's been with the guy for a week already. Not just that, he's in no mood to party. Not since the incident when he was drunk from not only the Jack Daniel's. He looked up to see his entire group of friends, Roxas included, acting in a way he hasn't seen before. Acts like saying odd phrases or swaying. Sure, it would seem fun, but he didn't want to worry everyone with his disappearance once more. Given the circumstances, he found it better to walk around the house, staying in bounds. 

The thought of him disappearing once more scared him. Roxas was worried for the guy at first, but the blond thought nothing more since. That moment was the butt of jokes with Saïx for a while, too, despite the guy also being drunk when it happened. When he asked Riku, he only got vague information before he too dropped the topic entirely. The only thing he was left with were his own thoughts and the bits of information to go by. Thus, the fact no one knew where he went or cared about where he might have ended up in is why he was so scared of getting drunk once more. 

He tried to get his mind off that night, so he rummaged through the fridge for a drink, only to be plagued by the sight of alcohol. He had to push aside many types and brands to find what he was looking for: a single beat-up can of cola. Once he closed the fridge, he opened the can and drank the whole thing. Sure, the fizz burned his throat and made its way to his nasal tissue, but it was better for him to think about the pain. Seconds after, he opened the fridge once more to look for other things, only to stumble upon a food item wrapped in aluminum foil. When taking it out and closing the fridge, the food item turned out to be a breakfast burrito from the other day. 

As he was quietly waiting for the burrito to be reheated in the microwave, Saïx walked in, obviously swaying and holding a bottle of off-brand whiskey. "I smell bacon," the guy muttered. 

The microwave chimed, alerting those nearby the food has finished heating. 

"Are you going to eat that?" 

"Very much," Axel calmly answered, taking out the burrito with five layers of napkins around his hands. "Why do you ask?" 

"I want something to eat." 

As he blew air to cool the burrito before taking a bite, he muttered, "I mean, there's like a bowl of mac n cheese in the fridge. You can heat that up." 

"But I want breakfast foods." 

"Well, I'm sorry. If you wanted food, you should have come earlier, so that way you'd be the one eating this burrito instead." 

"But I wasn't hungry earlier." 

"Well then, too bad." Axel continued to take large bites of the burrito, not giving any sort of damn if Saïx stares in anger. The moment the blue-haired guy took a few angry steps, he took the biggest bite known to man before dumping the rest in the trash. "Guul luch, yuu fomfus fuch waffl." 

"YOU VEHEMENT BITCH!" Instinctively, he reached over the red head, ready to strangle the guy. His hot, red face did not let him think, being consumed in the feeling of betrayal from witnessing a breakfast food go to waste. There was no sight in seeing him calm down. 

Being the only known sober person in the house, Axel had to think of something quickly to get out of this frightening situation. Once he writhed his way out of his drunk friend's grasp, he reached over to the fridge and opened it to grab however many eggs his large hands can hold. "I'll make you one from scratch if you don't hurt me!" What was he thinking? His very best friend was angry because of food waste. There's no way such a guy would ever-- 

"You better make it right here and now." Saïx glared, slowly walking to the dinner table and sitting down on the nearest chair. "I'll be watching you make it." 

That went smoother than anticipated. Remembering what went in the burrito, he took out the ingredients necessary to make it, including the last large whole wheat tortilla that sat in the fridge. The guy was no chef, but he thanked his previous years of high integrity in his home economics class for the few things he did know how to cook. Twenty minutes had went by, and he finished assembling the burrito, ready to serve for his hungry, drunk friend. "There you go, Dead name. Eat up." 

Sure, halfway through the process would have been a perfect time for Axel to flee, given the fact Saïx didn't pay attention that time, but the moment the food was served, he had his full undivided attention. "About time. I should have died from hunger minutes ago." Given how thin the guy was, it was easy to assume he didn't eat much. NOPE. Like a competitive eater, he scoffed the burrito in his mouth, sauce and food bits sticking on his face. 

"That should distract him for a while." As he walked away from the hungry drunk, he stopped, seeing Roxas, who was also looking rather hungry, by the archway between the kitchen and the hall. "Uh, do you want something?" 

"I would eat something, but you look rather busy." Despite being drunk, Roxas looked rather sane, as if he's putting a lot of energy fighting off whatever intrusive thought came to mind. "So, uh, is Saïx okay?" 

"Him? Yeah, he is. At least I hope." He turned to see how his friend was doing, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of the guy's food-covered face laying down on the dining table. "Yeah, ignore what I said. He's in good hands." His back tensed when he heard the sound of hurling from behind, not wanting to turn his head around. "You're better off ordering takeout." 

"I see. I would if I could find my phone." 

"Hey, if you want, I can help you find it." 

"You'd do that for me, Ax? Aww, you shouldn't have." 

With the purpose of conveying disappointment and exhaustion, he stared at the blond. "Go back to the living room. I'll look for it myself." He herded his friend over to the nearest sofa, lazily swinging his arms over before slouching his back at the sight of the sea of drunk friends. Sure, there's a pile of phones on the coffee table, but none had the recognizable gray Organization cross on a black phone case. He waddled over to the next sofa, digging his hands through the cushion before coming to a realization. 

Kairi was nowhere to be seen. 

It felt rather suspicious, at this point. She was seen between the second day of their vacation and earlier this morning. Both times, she was absent when everyone else was drunk. Then again, he had the assumption she either didn't drink or was traumatized. But if that was the case, she would ask Riku to put the drinks elsewhere or asked others to open the fridge for her. Or, and he thought it was a stretch, she was scared of someone acting out when drunk. It didn't sit well, but it was a plausible idea.

He could continue the search for Roxas' phone, or he could investigate Kairi's whereabouts and intentions. Either option has potential drawbacks. If he didn't return the phone, Roxas would feel disappointed, or he could forget that happened in the first place. If he didn't investigate, he would never know what she may be plotting or, better yet, be able to connect the dots on what happened to him the very first night. Either option had to sacrifice the other. 

As he continued to search for the phone, he overheard a conversation. 

"Where's Kairi," Riku asked. 

"She said she doesn't drink," Xion replied, twirling around what was left of the wine in the glass. 

"You know, I call bullshit on that. She actually does drink even if she's underage." 

"What? But she told me she doesn't drink." 

"That's a pile of horsecrap. She's been drinking since I became legal and she's been drinking heavy amounts since the last time we saved her. I don't know why she hasn't left her room yet." The adult took a significant sip on his can of beer. 

"This is probably the second time she refused to leave her room," Sora chimed in, bored after finishing the last of the beer in the bottle.

"She probably has a crush on someone and doesn't want to embarrass herself." 

"Would make sense," Xion blurted. "She's been pursuing Roxas and Saïx lately." 

"That. That can't be it." 

"How so?" 

"I mean, Saïx is more reserved. Not to mention, Roxas isn't interested." 

"I did tell her to back away from Roxas since it's that obvious she's chasing after him." 

"Maybe," Riku interrupted, "and this is a maybe, Sora you should flirt with Roxas in front of her." 

Despite nearing blackout drunk, Sora blushed a bright red. "I-I-I mean. Roxas is a- is a friend to me- to me." 

"I call bullshit on that. Sora, we've known each other since we were little, I know when you're lying at this point. I just don't bother calling you out on it." 

"I'm being serious- being serious! He's no-no-nothing more!" 

"Liar, liar. You have a crush on Roxas!" 

"No no! I-I don't!!" Because of how fast his heart was racing, his bright red face grew darker, instinctively hiding his face with his hands. "He's a friend, ok?" 

"I would believe you if you weren't blushing and covering your face. So, what about Roxas that makes you go all kissy kissy lovely?" 

"C'mon Sora," Xion chimed, getting another bottle of red wine. "Spill the juice already. I want to know why you'd rather Roxas than Kairi. She's clearly obsessed for you, but I want to know the juicy drama of her crush falling for his nobody." 

"He's not a nobody, ok? He's... A person who. Shares the awful sense of humor as me and. Cares. For me. He. Helps me sleep at night. During a time where I always think. I'll remain in a forever state of sleep." 

Given such a slow moment among the drunks, Axel can only think even more. With the confession of Roxas being gay, along with the information gathered from the interaction, there were many conclusions to be drawn, but one is rather obvious. Before he could continue with the thought process as he's searching for Roxas' phone, he hears a thump. He turned his head, like a fox getting caught during his kill, to the source of the sound: 

The kitchen. 

Immediately, Axel walked over to the kitchen, curious if Saïx fell off the table. If no one else paid attention to the sound, it was up to the red head to go and investigate. It was a skill he had to pick up back in the Organization, a skill he's thankful for learning. As he got to the table, he noticed Saïx was nowhere to be seen; the only thing there was a pool of vomit trailing off the table and to the hall-- 

Oh no. 

Taking full advantage of the moment, he dashed his way to the only room that the trail led to, breaking off the knob on the door to Kairi's room. For a moment, it was like the place was familiar to him, although it was something he never fully seen until now. The various amounts of pink, the photos of Sora adorning the vanity, and the ample amount of soft blankets and pillows. The moment he walked in, it seemed both things he wanted to do were rather accomplished. Not only was Roxas' phone very much in her room... 

Kairi jolted, her eyes widening at the sight of Axel breaking open her door. If that wasn't enough, it was clear to just about anyone she tried to undress a passed out Saïx on her bed. To alienate herself from her own actions, she stepped away from the guy, backing herself in a corner. "Axel, it's not what it looks like." 

How on this island would he break such news to anyone?


	6. Something I've Never Wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first part is the reason the warning exists. I apologize to anyone for the guilt I made those feel, especially since the scene doesn't pertain to the main relationship.

Axel remained dumbfounded at the sight of what was about to unfold. If he ended up in a room during his first night in Kairi's room, only to wake up on the couch sore from below the waist, this is probably the most sense as to where he disappeared to. The sight of what she could have done to his best friend caused his heart to race in a way that gave him the durability to run for long periods of time. As much as he wanted to run and never look back, it's as if his legs defied the commands of his mind. All he could do is stand in place, fearing for the many things that could have happened to him. 

From the way he stood, she could tell he knew what she did to him. There was nothing she could do to save herself from the wrongdoings she did. As much as she could shout for Riku to come to her aid, not only was he considerably drunk, but he too would make a fuss about Saïx in her room. She could summon Sora, but not only would he question the presence of Roxas' possessions, he would also question her disappearance and how dodgy she was recently. There was one thing she could do. "Axel, please, if you don't speak of this, I'll never do it again." 

"Not him," was all he muttered. Instead, he fell on his knees, his head sinking onto her carpeted door mat. "Anyone but him. Please, do to me what you were to do with him. I... I would do anything to spare him of such trauma!" The thought of his friend coming to terms of such vile act was enough to cause him to sob violently. He didn't want his friend to suffer as a victim, and he would, without a doubt, take his best friend's place. 

Seeing him feel this way caused a sense of grief in her heart. It was all too familiar. Within his cries, she heard her own. The same cry she made when she lost a part of herself a dreadful night in her far past. Not once. But twice. Such nights in which she lost a part of herself for what felt like forever. Such part of her she tried so hard to recover. 

A part of her she tried to reclaim through inhumane methods. One that would cause the same trauma she endured for so long. 

She silently made her way to Saïx, picking him up from the bed and dragging him over to the room nearest. Riku's room. She set him on her friend's bed, not caring if the legs of the bed finally gave in to such wear and broke on impact. As she walked back to her room, she took one look at the door, noticing the only part that broke was the knob. Once she replaced the knob with a spare that she hid, she shut the door, locking it once more. She looked down at Axel, who continued to sob away. "If you really mean your claims, then I want you to listen to and do exactly as I say." 

He looked up, fresh tears gliding down his hot face, a face of fear looking at her. Hesitant, he nodded. He got up from the floor, only to be kicked toward the bed. It took him a while before coming to terms with his hands tied behind his back, only to be rolled over to face her. He knew what was to happen to him, so why is he putting up a fight to break free? Because he never wanted this. Even if it's to save his best friend, he would never ask of this. He would never ask of this to even those he despise. 

As he felt certain articles of clothing getting undone one by one, like his Organization coat zipping off and pants getting undone, he couldn't stop overthinking and crying. What did he do to deserve this? If this is the price to spare his friend from trauma, why did it feel so hefty? So many questions raced through his mind, all as the hot tears rolled as he sobbed quietly. He didn't know that not only was his bottom half bare without any clothing, but Kairi was also naked from the waist down. In hopes of being spared with at least a bit of sympathy, he silently muttered, "Please don't hurt me." 

"I would," she said as she leaped on top of him, "but I guess your definition of hurt is wildly different than mine." 

He was clearly scared. He trembled at the sight of her on top of him as he himself was tied and defenseless. It didn't help that although he cried and writhed his shaft was hard and pointed upward. He clearly didn't want it, and he knew if he were to explain the whole thing to someone, the fact he was hard would reduce and denounce his claims of rape. All he could do is cry the moment she eased down on his member, a horror he wish he would forget for the rest of his days.

\------

The morning after the party, Roxas awoke to the fact he was on Sora's bed. It felt rather... comfortable. Soft and yet durable. A feeling that would induce sleep in a matter of seconds. If the bed was as soft as described, he could only wonder what is keeping up the brunet. As he tried to get up, he jumped, almost stepping on his friend in the process. Not only was the guy sleeping on the floor, he's sleeping right next to the bed. There's no getting out of this one, no matter how much he tried. 

Sora awoke, placing his hand on his forehead while silently grunting. He stretched the muscles on his back for a minute, his eyes slowly opening up after. He turned to the blond, noticing how wide awake he was. "Good morning." 

"M-Morning," the blond muttered. Until now, he couldn't really believe how much more beautiful Sora would get. Such sight of him glowing from the morning sun brought forth a faint pink spread across Roxas' face. "I'm. I'm sorry if I crashed on your bed." 

"Nah, you're good. I meant for you to sleep there, anyway." One good look at where he really was, he felt the need to ask something. "How did I end up here?" 

"You just did?" It was a rather dumb question in his mind, but thinking it over, he also asked such a question. All he remembered was craving takeout foods, only to realize his phone was nowhere in sight. And speaking about his phone, where is it? 

"No. Like, all I remember is being teased by our friends. Next thing I know, I wake up to a sight better than sunrise." 

Pretending to be phased by such comment, he put his hands over his chest. "Ow, Sora, that's no way to talk about your bed like that." 

Sora looked at his friend, withholding the need to make an even worse remark. "I. Um. Y-yeah. I was talking abo-about the bed. Heh." 

Although his sense of betrayal was an act, Roxas didn't need to fake it any longer, causing him to slump as he sat down. He felt his heart get figuratively beat down to a thin sheet by baseball bats before his eyes began to leak clear tears. It was just a joke, he thought, why should I care? He looked up, causing him to jump at the sight of his friend being up close. 

"You don't look okay." He couldn't hear his heart racing through like a competitor of the Indy 500, but rather his heart pounded slowly to a saddening waltz. The only thing on his mind is Roxas, wondering why he would react to his lie so harshly. Wondering any way to repay for such insensitive comment, he asked, "Did what I say hurt you?" 

"No," Roxas blurted. "You didn't do anything wrong, I swear." 

"Roxas. Be honest with me." Without realizing, he put both hands on his friend's shoulders. "Did what I say hurt you?" 

"I mean, I'm not really hurt, I'm. I'm not." There was no way out of this scenario, since any form of dodging the question would cause even more pain amongst the two. "Okay, yes. I'm hurt. I knew you were joking along with me, but I reacted by instinct." 

"Alright. I shouldn't joke that way around you, then." 

"Who the fuck didn't flush," Riku shouted as he barged into the room, not giving a bother he ruined something so pure. "Someone left an ungodly shit in the toilet, and no one has confessed to it yet!" 

"Riku, what the fuck!" 

"I'm fucking livid, Sora! This culprit needs to pay for such damages." The sound of the bathroom door slamming caused the guy to turn his head. "Hey! Don't go in there!" He ran down the hall to the bathroom, furiously slamming his fist onto the door. "HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! GET OUT OF THERE!" 

"No," a very distraught Axel shouted in response. 

"YOU STUPID EDGELORD THOT! THE TOILET DOESN'T EVEN WORK!" 

"I'M NOT HERE TO USE THE TOILET!" 

"STILL! GET OUT OF THERE CUZ I'M CALLING A PLUMBER!" 

"NO!" 

Axel's defiance caused Riku to shout, an anger that warranted a hard kick on the nearest object. "Goddamn that guy! Ugh, what did I do to be stuck with this man child?!" He walked out of the hall and out of the house, slamming the door behind him and driving off. 

Because of the ruckus that went on, Xion rushed over to the bathroom door, gently knocking on it. "Axel, please come out. I need to talk to you." She continued to knock, her violet blue eyes widening with fear, and her hands shaking with each knock. "Axel, please." She looked over to both Sora and Roxas. "Guys, please do something. He obviously doesn't look okay." 

"What's going on," Sora questioned. 

"I don't know. He was panicking like he saw a ghost this morning. When I asked him what's up, he ran off and into the bathroom." As soon as she heard the water running in the form of a shower, she knocked louder. "Axel! Please come out!" The moment Kairi walked out of her room, Xion pointed at the red-haired girl. "You! What did you do to Axel?" 

"Just because I made a scene a while back," Kairi answered, "that does not mean I have walked up to him and caused something. Now, please move aside. I need to shower." 

"The shower is in use, if you haven't heard already." 

"Alright. I'll just have to wait." 

"I can't wait," Saïx shouted, a towel and bath sponge in one hand and the other holding onto the door to Riku's room. "I mean, not that I can't, but I actually feel the worst sense of uncleanliness in the longest time. So, how long before Axel finishes up?" 

"He just got in," Sora responded. "And given he's not in a good physical and mental state, I don't think he's coming out of there soon." 

The idea of waiting a long time and racing against another person to the shower did not sit well for the guy. "WHERE IS THE NEAREST GYM?!" 

"Not for another 30 miles from this place. But! I do know of some hot springs nearby that have a set of showers." 

"LET'S GO!" He took his rope sling full of clothes alongside his towel and bath sponge before dashing out of the house. 

Sora took a glance at Roxas before looking at Xion. "So... Make this a fun trip?" 

"Sure," both former Organization members responded in unison, grabbing their respective bags before heading out of the house. 

\----- 

Sora was the last to leave the locker room, stepping out into the hot morning surrounded by his friends and other users of the springs. Feeling a shiver up his spine from only wearing bright red swim trunks, he looked around, hoping that it was only his friends and random human bystanders who saw him with such level of exposure. Despite the day being so bright, it was as if he was looking through a tunnel. Not realizing his friends called out for him, he jerked at the direction a soft towel that was thrown at him. "Oh, hey. Sorry. Didn't see you guys there." 

"You looked rather tense," Riku said. "If it makes you feel better, we're over here. Just. Don't start anything silly." 

"No worries. I have no reason to." Feeling the muscles on his shoulder loosen, he walked over to the spring his friends were gathered, joining them in a cesspool of steam and play fights. "When did you get here, Riku?" 

"I mean, I saw Isa got lost on his way here, so I offered him a ride." 

"Aww, what," Roxas shouted. "You offer him a ride, but not me and Xion? We really needed it." 

"That's because I got here half an hour before you did." 

"That's why!" He sat down, not bothering if the hot water got to his chin. He glanced over to Sora before looking away into the distance immediately after. "Say, Xion. Didn't you say you wanted to try something while we're here?" 

"Yeah," Xion hesitated. Although she focused on the blond's words, her sight was on Kairi as she had an idea what the red haired girl's next moves would be. 

"What's stopping you?" 

"Uh." The fact everyone's sight is on her clouded her thinking. As much as she wanted to keep Kairi away, the many pairs of eyes begged for her to express her thoughts, something she wanted to keep locked away and hidden. There wasn't much of a choice in this scenario. Either play the game and risk Roxas being put in an uncomfortable position or play a false alarm and strain friendships in the long run. "Well, we don't have an empty bottle." 

"You could have just said so," Riku responded. From outside the springs, he reached over to grab an empty water bottle, cap included, before giving it to her. "What do you intend to use the bottle for, anyway?" 

"Well. A game of truth or dare." 

The reaction to the comment was rather mixed. "WHAT," both Sora and Saïx shouted in unison. Kairi wore a blank expression throughout. Roxas turned pale as the many ideas of how south the game could go raced through his head. Riku raised an eyebrow, his hand curled up near his face as he had a curiosity to how this game can be managed. 

"I mean, if you don't want to play it, that's fine." 

"Let's see how this goes," Riku smirked. "I'm rather intrigued." 

It was hard to spin the bottle as it kept afloat above the hot waters. The water was dense to resist the push compared to on dry lands, even if the person had some muscular strength, there would be a level of strain caused onto the user's wrist and arm. With that, the group had to improvise. Roxas had the idea to forcefully sink the bottle, only to let go and see which direction the top part of the bottle would point, resulting in Saïx being the unfortunate victim in a reckless teenage game. 

"Since you picked truth," Roxas blurted, a sinister smile growing as he felt ready to say one of the most dastardly questions to exist. "I will have to ask you this. Who's lips are much better to kiss: Axel's or Riku's?" 

"YOU FUCKING DIDN'T," the blue haired male shouted as he launched himself toward the blond, pulling him down to the bottom of the spring they were in. Despite having the upper hand in strength and height, his might was surpassed, a result that came in the form of being tossed aside like litter on the street. 

"Answer my question, twink! Who's lips feel better to kiss?" 

"Okay, okay! Without a doubt, it's Riku!" 

"Hold up," Kairi shouted. "How the fuck did you come to that conclusion?" 

Riku glanced at Saïx before looking back at everyone else, his eyes widened as if he was caught doing some ungodly act. Without hesitating, he blurted. "I have to use the restroom." He dashed out of the spring and toward the facility. 

"RIKU, GET THE FUCK BACK HERE! YOU BETTER TELL ME WHY YOU EVEN-- and he's gone. Great." She turned to the taller, blue haired male, staring him down with a grimace. "You better have done something to him." 

"ANYWAY," Xion shouted, handing the bottle over to Saïx, "it's your turn to see which unfortunate soul shall be tormented!" 

"Okay den," Saïx took the bottle upon answering. Noticing how dumb yet clever the idea of pulling the bottle down below was, he did so, curious as to what physics allowed such idea to be a good one in practice. By the time he got a glance of the bottle, he could hear the name of the victim in question: Kairi. 

"I, uh," Kairi stuttered, "pick... Dare." 

"You want me, the Luna Diviner, to pick a dare so ill according for a young girl? Eh, I dare you to confess to a tree your most disturbing kink." 

"Uhh, what? The hell kind of dare is that? Like, it's not the traditional 'I dare you to kiss so and so' or 'I dare you to give this person a lap dance' thing." 

"That's because if I give you those kinds of dares, you'll whore yourself the way Riku found you. Now, take the mundane dare or get the fuck out." 

"Wait, what do you mean? Did Riku tell you--" 

"TAKE THE DARE OR LEAVE!" 

Irritated, she got out of the spring to walk by the nearest (palm) tree. As she stood right in front, she looked over her shoulder and right at the eyes of Roxas. Her heart fluttered to the beat of a butterfly flapping its wings and her pale face glimmered a slight pink. She looked back at the tree, sighing over the idea of saying something so embarrassing to a group of bystanders and Sora. Gnashing her teeth throughout, she loudly muttered the following: "I'm extremely into the idea of being bound by ropes in a public area and played with in front of a crowd of people." 

"Damn," Xion said, recording the whole ordeal. "I thought my kinks were extreme." 

"What's yours," Sora asked. 

"Dungeon." 

"Holy shit." He looked away from everyone, the idea of being tied by chains in a dimly lit basement area of a castle was enough to cause the brunet to shiver. "Heh. I wonder who's next." 

"You're in luck because although we're standing next to each other, I'm the unfortunate soul." She looked directly in the eye of Kairi, not caring about her cherry colored bikini positioned in the way to show as much eye candy as humanly possible. "Bring it on, bitch. I choose dare." 

"Alright," Kairi said in response. Trying to act as if she wasn't phased by such a malicious phrase from the former Organization member, she pointed over to Roxas. "I dare you to kiss him." 

Xion looked over at Roxas with widened eyes and her hand covering her gaping mouth, a feeling of betrayal crawling on her shoulders. As she witnessed the blond cough away and shake his head at the idea of such a dare, she shook her head as a response. She looked back at the other female. "No. Kairi, no. Please. Anything but that." 

"What? You're really going to chicken out of a teeny dare? It's just a kiss. Not the bubonic plague." 

"I get that it's just a kiss, but this is the invasion of--" 

"Kairi that's a little too far," Riku said upon arriving back at the spring. "Either you pick another or we're ending the game." 

"B-but," she said, trying to hold her ground on a dare, "it's not that bad compared to confessing to certain acts or preferences!" 

"I get that, but not all of us are straight, for crying out loud. Please respect that." He looked at Roxas, thinking of a way to help the blond cope before coming up with something that would cause disaster upon everyone. Knowing of the potential backlash he'll receive, he leaned over to Roxas' hear, proclaiming loud enough for at least someone to aside from the two can hear. "Just because everyone should respect you doesn't mean you'll be getting that out of me." He grabbed the other's chin, holding him gently as he licked a portion of the blond's face. 

"Excuse me what the fuck," Sora shouted. Sure, it was rather out of line for his friend to act that way, but the brunet interpreted the scenario rather differently. As his heart pounded to oblivion, giving him a strength similar to a limit breaker, he dashed over to the gray haired adult, knocking him out of his stance. "DON'T YOU EVER DISRESPECT ROXAS LIKE THAT! EVER!" This strength was enough to knock the wind out of Riku. So much so that Xion and Saïx had to intervene. He managed to writhe out of the two's grasp on him before jumping right back to throwing punches at his friend. 

Irritated, Xion threw a punch at the brunet, hoping that would do something. She turned to Roxas, her anger morphing into that of a concern. "Oh my god, are you okay? What did Riku do to you prior?" 

Trying to process the pace of such events, Roxas looked to his friend with a blank stare. A bright blush can be seen on his face, the pupils on his ocean eyes dilated enough to be rather noticeable, and a small smile was planted. "Riku sure knows how to flirt." 

"...EH? So you're saying that he was just flirting and I knocked out Sora... ONLY TO KNOW YOU ENJOY THAT TYPE OF ATTENTION?!" Both her hands were thrown against her face, covering her eyes as she stomped away at the hot waters. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOUR SEX STARVED BODY WOULD LIKE THE ATTENTION OF AN OLDER DUDE! MY GOD, ROXAS!" Xion shouted every swear under the sun, kicking the steaming hot waters in frustration over her friend. 

Half an hour after, everyone decided they had their fair share of fun before leaving. As they showered up and packed their swim clothes away, they walked out of the facility and back to the house. Their journey back was much more tense than the muscles on Sora's back. Riku cowered at any sort of attention from the brunet. Kairi shot a disturbing glare Xion's way, establishing some form of authority over the other. As for Roxas... 

"When we get back to the house, what are we gonna eat?" 

"My ass," Riku slurred. 

"My dick," Sora chimed. 

"This pussy," Xion blurted. 

"The lack of attention your mother gave you during your early childhood development," Saïx retorted. "Now eat up. It's not gonna get any colder than that." 

Given the amount of "Oooh"s Roxas received, it was his calling to fight back. "The only thing that can be colder is Xenmas' false promise on your promotion." 

"Like that will phase me at all, much like the attention of a pink friendzoned rat." 

"Says the guy who will whore himself for Riku any day." 

"Like you wouldn't do the same for Sora." 

"Hey," Xion interrupted, "given how much better your roasting skill have improved, why don't you go against Axel?" 

"Because roasting is a respectable art form unlike drinking to the point of a love confession. Isn't that right, Ventus?" 

"Wait, who the fuck is Ventus?" 

When the group returned back at the house, instinctively, Riku threw himself on the old recliner in the house, followed by Saïx pulling a chair next to him. Xion rushed over to the room with her bag to put on a clean set of clothes that weren't her pajamas, not caring if Kairi was trailing along behind her. Sora walked over to the kitchen, knowing damn well the only thing he can cook is butter. Roxas wanted to follow, only to get dragged into Riku's room by Axel. 

The fact he was relocated to a room caught him by surprise. He didn't have to fight much to get out of a strong grip, which surprised him. One glance of the room and he could already assume who it was. He looked at the perpetrator, his eyes widening and his mouth trembling at the sight. All he could say was his name. "Axel." 

"Sorry for the way I went about things, but... I may have to lay low for a while." 

"Why's that?" 

"I mean. I'm not in the right head space to discuss everything, but I don't want to concern everyone." 

"But. You're always the type to share things with us. What makes this instance so different?" Before he could ask more, he heard a faint sob coming from his friend. Trying to investigate led to empathy in the form of nearly crying. Seeing his friend cry broke him. "Ax, what's the matter?" 

"I can't. With everything that happened, I just. Can't." With what little strength he had, he looked to the blond, both hands on his friend's shoulders. "I want you to take whatever I say to heart because I trust you. Kairi is a lot different now than she was before." 


End file.
